Orchestras inspiring leaders for better ways of working

Former AFL star Jack Riewoldt is on a mission to create better workplaces and he’s found a source of inspiration in the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. 

The former Richmond Vice-Captain and three-time premiership player joined TSO Concertmaster Emma McGrath at a recent panel event exploring team leadership in arts and sport. 

Jack, who is the co-founder of Authentic Leaders Group, says he often uses orchestras as an example of how leaders can create connection and belonging in the workplace. 

‘I look at orchestras as a fantastic example for business, because constantly we’re hearing, more than anything, that people are working in silos,’ Jack says. 

‘People don't want to share information because they're competing with others inside their own business. In an orchestra, you can’t compete against each other because if you do, it won't sound any good. I love that metaphor of being like an orchestra where you play at a level which allows the next person in the next chair to play at their best level, so that the sound you make is the best sound for everyone.’ 

The event was the latest networking opportunity for the TSO Business Collective, which are a diverse mix of businesses who help to fund our schools programs and concerts across Tasmania. 

Audience members loved hearing anecdotes from Jack and Emma’s respective experiences, including Jack’s insights into the coaching techniques that cut through to him and his fellow players at crucial times (‘good leaders are storytellers who can take you on a journey,’ he says). 

Emma similarly gave candid insights into her role as Concertmaster and the work of the TSO over the past five years to instill the company’s values of connection, artistry and integrity into the workplace. 

She credited the orchestra’s CEO Caroline Sharpen for leading by example to create a workplace in which every person’s voice is heard and valued. 

‘Focusing on connection for the orchestra has had a massive impact. It's revolutionised how we feel about the workplace. I love working here and I know others do too,’ Emma says. 

‘Before, we might have been a little bit more like 47 wonderful individuals playing on a stage, but now we're like one organism. What matters is not that we’re a bunch of high performing soloists, it’s that we're on stage doing it together,’ she says. 

‘Some of us are relatively green, some of us have been doing it for 45 years, but when it comes together and we actually listen to one another, respect one another, and all of the differences and nuances in between, then it's magic. Magic sounds a little bit cheesy, but I like it because there's nothing like it – it's incredible.’ 

Both Jack and Emma spoke of the pitfalls of businesses using the term ‘high performance’, preferring instead to use ‘best performance’. 

‘I struggle with the word high performance because who decides who is a high performer? It involves an element of opinion. And sometimes it turns people away from even having a crack,’ Jack says. 

‘I love the term “best performance” because every single person in this room, every single person on this island, every single person on the planet is capable of turning up and giving their best at every and any time,’ he says. 

Interested in joining the TSO Business Collective? Learn more.